It seems like just yesterday I was working on the original 2008 analysis for the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative. Knowing where we started and seeing where we are now, the progress has been remarkable. It's a testament to how policy can accelerate innovation and lead to lasting community change. And we’re just getting started! ~ Dawn Lippert, Chairwoman, HCEI Advisory Board, and Chief Executive Officer

1. HAWAII
THE COST OF GASOLINE
ENERGY & THE ENVIRONMENT
MAUNA LOA
Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) – Global Monitoring Division (GMD)
THE PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS
THE UTILITY COMPANIES
HAWAIIAN ELECTIC INDUSTRIES (HEI)
HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC COMPANY (HECO)
MAUI ELECTRIC COMPANY, LTD. (MECO)
HAWAII ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY (HELCO)
KAUAI ISLAND UTILITY COOPERATIVE (KIUC)
WE ARE ONE – DOING OUR PART
THE HAWAII PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION (PUC)
THE UTILITIES
HEI – HECO – MECO – HELCO – KIUC
THE LEGISLATURE – STATE & COUNTY
HONOLULU CITY & COUNTY – MAUI COUNTY
KAUAI COUNTY – HAWAII COUNTY
THE EXECUTIVES – STATE & COUNTY
GOVERNOR DAVID Y. IGE
MAYOR KIRK CALDWELL – MAYOR ALAN ARAKAWA
MAYOR BERNARD CARVALHO – MAYOR HARRY KIM
WE THE PEOPLE

2. ACHIEVING 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY
MAUNA LOA OBSERVATORY (MLO) is a premier atmospheric research facility
that has been continuously monitoring and collecting data related to
atmospheric change since the 1950's. The undisturbed air, remote location, and
minimal infuences of vegetation and human activity at MLO are ideal for
monitoring constituents in the atmosphere that can cause climate change. The
observatory is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) - Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) - Global Monitoring
Division (GMD).
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Earth System Research Laboratory, Global Monitoring Division. Accessed April 10, 2018
https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/obop/mlo/webmuseum/publications.html
If anything, the constant monitoring of atmospheric carbon dioxide at Mauna
Loa might have entered an important new phase—monitoring global eforts to
curb greenhouse gas pollution. In December, nearly 200 nations met in Paris
and agreed to adopt eforts aimed at keeping the world well below 2 degrees
Celsius of warming—the consensus limit for when the consequences of climate
change would get really, really bad. Environmentalists and climate scientists
generally applauded the agreement, but there was one main point of concern:
How would the world know if countries were sticking to their promises? How
could we be sure that the agreement was actually working?
That’s where NOAA’s Tans [Pieter Tans, head of the Carbon Cycle Greenhouse
Gases Group, Global Monitoring Division,NOAA Earth System Research
Laboratory] thinks that the carbon measurement program can be useful—and
where he sees the program going, at least in part, in the future. [Clarifcation Supplied]
“There needs to be some way of objectively verifying to what extent these
policies are actually successful. We’ve been thinking for a long time about how
we can do this, how we can make measurements in such a way that if a policy
goal is 20 percent less emissions in 10 years, can we actually measure that
from the atmosphere?” Tans says.

3. NOAA’s researchers have been practicing measuring known sources of
methane across the U.S. to try to measure and quantify reductions in
greenhouse gas emissions. Now, they are turning their attention towards carbon
dioxide in cities, trying to devise a method that can capture changes in carbon
emissions at a city level, and even pinpoint whether that carbon is coming from
a natural source, or from the combustion of fossil fuels.
For a project that has spent more than half of the last century plotting
mankind’s dangerous infuence on the climate, it’s a hopeful prospect. “If the
PARIS AGREEMENT bears fruit and leads to reduction in emissions, we’ll
start seeing that show up in the Mauna Loa record, and that will be a new
discovery—we’ll see that humans are bending the curve,” Ralph Keeling
says. “I’m eager to keep it going to show that there is a control knob that we
can exercise.” [Emphasis Supplied]
Note, Supplied. Ralph Franklin Keeling is Professor at Scripps Institution of
Oceanography, Principal Investigator for the Atmospheric Oxygen Research
Group at Scripps, Director, Scripps CO2 Program]
Source: The Enduring Climate Legacy of Mauna Loa. By Natasha Geiling. Smithsonian.com.
July 20, 2016, accessed April 10, 2018 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/enduring-
climate-legacy-mauna-loa-180959859/
WITH THE STROKE OF A PEN, GOVERNOR IGE SIGNED SB 559 INTO
LAW (ACT 032) — MAKING HAWAII THE FIRST STATE TO ENACT
LEGISLATION THAT IMPLEMENTS PORTIONS OF THE PARIS CLIMATE
AGREEMENT. The ceremony in the Capitol rotunda included legislators,
county mayors and their representatives, famed Hōkūle`a navigator Nainoa
Thompson, department heads and environmentalists. “Hawai‘i is committed to
environmental stewardship, and we look forward to working with other states
to fght global climate change,” said the governor. “We are setting a course for
generations to come.” [Emphasis Supplied]
Thompson's presence sent a powerful message, as the Hōkūle`a's arrival was
just hours away. “I will tell them the Hawaii they are coming home to is strong
and willing to do the right thing,” he said.

4. “The measure adopted relevant sections of the Paris agreement as state law,
which gives us legal basis to continue mitigation strategies for Hawaii, despite
the federal government's withdrawal from the agreement,” said Sen. J. Kalani
English, senate majority leader who introduced SB 559. The governor signed a
second bill, HB 1578, establishing a Carbon Farming Task Force, to promote
sustainable practices in agriculture and aquaculture. He also committed the
state to the U.S. Climate Alliance, a group of 12 states and Puerto Rico that
have vowed to uphold the Paris agreement on the state level.
Source: Hawaii Leads Nation on Paris Climate Accord Support, The Capitol Connection,
June 30, 2017, accessed April 10, 2018 https://governor.hawaii.gov/main/hawaii-leads-nation-on-
paris-climate-accord-support/
Under the leadership of Gov. David Ige, the bipartisan U.S. Climate Alliance is
strongly urging Congress to protect the U.S. Department of Energy from
massive funding cuts proposed by the Trump Administration.
In a clearly worded letter addressed to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources and the U.S. House Committee on Energy and
Commerce, the U.S. Climate Alliance described in detail how an “approximate
70 percent cut to the Department of Energy's budget for renewable energy and
energy efciency research would be disastrous.”
“The Trump administration’s proposal to slash federal energy programs by 70
percent is yet another assault on the future of our environment, economy and
our keiki. I hope congress will restore this critical funding. No matter what
happens at the federal level, Hawaii will continue to fght climate change by
cutting carbon emissions and increasing energy efciency,” said Gov. Ige,
following the delivery of the U.S. Climate Alliance letter to Congress.
Hawaii directly benefts from the work and successes of the U.S. Department of
Energy’s Ofce of Energy Efciency and Renewable Energy. The ofce's critical
research in solar energy, electric vehicle, and energy efciency technologies is
helping to move the state closer to a 100 percent clean energy future.

5. The U.S. Climate Alliance is a bipartisan coalition of 16 state governors who
joined together in the wake of the U.S. federal government’s decision to
withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. The U.S. Climate
Alliance remains committed to addressing climate change and reducing
greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris Accord.
Source: News Release — Governor Ige Leads Bipartisan Efort Urging Congress to Protect
Funding for Federal Clean Energy Programs. February 21, 2018, accessed April 10, 2018
https://governor.hawaii.gov/newsroom/latest-news/news-release-governor-ige-leads-bipartisan-efort-
urging-congress-to-protect-funding-for-federal-clean-energy-programs/
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS is a non-technical term for a meteorological phenomenon
characterized by a strong and persistent fow of atmospheric moisture and
associated with heavy precipitation from the waters adjacent to the Hawaiian
Islands and extending to any location along the Pacifc coast of North America.
A Pineapple Express is an example of an atmospheric river, which is a more
general term for such narrow corridors of enhanced water vapor transport at
mid-latitudes around the world.
The Pineapple Express storms make landfall in Washington, Oregon and
Northern California from October to April. Then the Southern California storms
are Pineapple Express storms make landfall in late November to March.
Source: Pineapple Express. Wikipedia. Accessed April 10, 2018
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple_Express
The term “PINEAPPLE EXPRESS” sounds like the tropical cousin of famous
Warner Bros. Christmas movie “The Polar Express.” In the world of weather,
it's a narrow plume of deep tropical moisture that snakes from Hawaii all the
way to the West Coast.
Others call these phenomena “ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS,” because they are
ribbons of warm, humid air drawn into the subtropical air current. Although
they sometimes stretch for thousands of miles in length, they oftentimes are
less than a few hundred miles wide.

6. Though it's late in the season, another one is brewing — one that the National
Weather Service is calling “potent.” It will take aim at the California coast
Friday into Saturday, unleashing heavy rainfall, gusty winds and fash-food
concerns in the higher elevations.
The heaviest precipitation looks to come down in the Santa Clara Valley, along
the Coastal Range and the Santa Cruz mountains. While Los Angeles will be too
far south and will barely skirt the moisture plume, San Francisco will sit smack
dab in the middle of the fre hose. While 2 to 3 inches of rain is possible there,
the mountains farther inland will poke into the jet stream and snatch the water
right out of the sky. Some places along the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada
could see up to 6 to 8 inches.
Atmospheric rivers aren't all bad. In fact, for the typically dry state, this can be
a signifcant contributor to its annual rainfall during El Niño years. Thirty to 50
percent of the rain and snow that falls along portions of the Sierra Nevada
comes from these type of events. Last year, they nearly wiped out California's
long-standing drought.
Marty Ralph is a research scientist studying the atmosphere and oceans at the
Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He is one of the nation’s foremost experts
in atmospheric rivers. This one, he says, is a biggie.
“It will be the strongest atmospheric river by far this winter for the region,” he
said. “Its total water vapor transport will be greater than roughly 25 Mississippi
Rivers' worth of water, though, of course, only a fraction of this will fall from
the sky as rain or snow.”
After all, it’s going to rain cats and dogs, and maybe even pineapples.
Source: 'Potent' atmospheric river to bombard central California on Friday and Saturday.
By Matthew Cappucci. The Washington Post. April 4, 2018, accessed April 10, 2018
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/04/05/potent-atmospheric-river-to-
bombard-central-california-friday-and-saturday/?utm_term=.e468f583c80
___________________________________________________________

7. THE ULILITY COMPANIES
THE HAWAII PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
THE STATE OF HAWAII
California Democratic leaders want their state to commit to a future of 100
percent renewable electricity, a goal approved so far by only one U.S. state
—Hawaii. [Emphasis Supplied]
Top ofcials in both places hope their policies will serve as a model for others
as the Trump administration rejects actions on climate change.
California and Hawaii ofer very diferent models for committing their power
sectors to clean electricity. They difer on everything from mandate deadlines
to what's considered renewable.
Hawaii passed its 100 percent renewable electricity mandate with a 2045 target
two years ago. The Aloha State at the time had no blueprint for how to make it
happen. Much of it remains in the planning stage, though leaders argue it's
achievable.
"We are ahead of schedule on our path to 100 percent renewable energy goal,"
Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) said at a clean energy summit this summer. "We are
making signifcant progress toward getting of of fossil fuel and into clean
energy, more aggressively than any other community in the United States."
"We do 100 percent clean energy, we do it right, we quantify positive results,"
de León said in a recent call with reporters. "This is a very wonderful
opportunity that we have, to send a very clear message to Washington that with
or without their help, California will continue to lead on this critical issue.
"It's an ambitious goal; there's no doubt about that," he added. "I want to be
very clear, it's also achievable. It's within reach."
De León recently traveled to Hawaii, where he met with Ige and others.

8. Hawaii's efort took an important step this summer. The state Public Utilities
Commission accepted a power supply improvement plan (PSIP) from Hawaiian
Electric Co., the utility that provides power through subsidiaries on Oahu, Maui
and the Big Island.
The document was the company's third iteration of that plan after the state
agency rejected earlier ones. Because the PUC accepted, yet did not approve,
the plan, renewables projects henceforward must gain clearance.
“When they passed the law, they defnitely had no idea how it was going to
work. Even today, we're still trying to fgure it out,” said Isaac Moriwake, an
attorney with Earthjustice in Hawaii. “The magic of the RPS is you set the goal.
You send a clear signal to the market that we're headed for that destination,
then the market and the technology does the rest.”
Note, Supplied. Kevin Alexander Leon currently serves in the California State
Senate., he served as the State Senate President pro tempore from October 15,
2014 to March 21, 2018
UPDATES
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM
REGULATORS ACCEPT HECO PLAN FOR 100% RENEWABLES
By Robert Walton, Utility Drive
July 18, 2017, accessed April 10, 2018
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/third-times-the-charm-regulators-accept-heco-plan-for-100-renewables/447305/
The Hawaiian Public Utilities Commission has accepted a plan fled by the
state's largest utility Hawaiian Electric Co. (HECO), outlining how it will reach
100% renewable energy resources by 2040 — fve years ahead of the state's
goal.
Hawaiian Electric is planning to get ahead of the state's renewable energy goal,
and the acceptance of the utility's plan is a signifcant milestone that gives
certainty to near-term actions.
Hawaii wants to reach all-renewable energy by 2045, and this is HECO's third
attempt at developing a 100% renewable energy plan.

9. Regulators rejected the frst in 2015 for a lack of specifcity and the second
version, fled in April 2016, was rendered moot when the PUC turned away
NextEra Energy's bid to buy the utility.
In its statement, HECO said its utilities exceeded the state’s 2015 renewable
energy target and indicated they are on track to exceed the state's renewable
energy targets in 2020, 2030 and 2040. The utility said it will attain a
renewable portfolio standard of 48% by 2020 without imported liquefed natural
gas — once again ahead of the mandated 30% goal.
In their order accepting HECO's plan, Hawaii regulators wrote the “PSIPs in the
Report refect signifcant improvements over the previous PSIPs fled in this
docket” but noted several areas of concern, including impacts on consumer
bills and the aggressive procurement of renewable energy and energy storage
systems without sufcient analysis. Regulators also expressed concern over
HECO's ambitious plan to meet the 100% renewables goal fve years early.
“The commission commends the Companies' commitment to achieving the RPS
[Renewable Portfolio Standard] ahead of schedule,” the regulators wrote.
“Nevertheless, the commission has some concerns regarding the technical
feasibility and economics of the long-term resource plan for each Island.”
The PUC said it will open a new docket to address HECO's ongoing plans to
achieve the renewable energy goals.
STATE REGULATORS APPROVE
HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC'S GRID MODERNIZATION STRATEGY
By Duane Shimogawa. Pacifc Business News.
February 9, 2018, accessed April 10, 2018
https://www.bizjournals.com/pacifc/news/2018/02/09/state-regulators-approve-hawaiian-electrics-grid.html
Hawaii regulators have green lighted the implementation of Hawaiian Electric
Cos.' grid modernization strategy, which is setting the course toward
renewable-ready island grids and increased reliability.
The state Public Utilities Commission said in its Feb. 7 order that the strategy
“presents a holistic view of how Hawaii’s electric grid can evolve.”

10. The commission commended Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric and Hawaii
Electric Light for its “robust and early stakeholder engagement” in developing
the plan.
The grid modernization strategy includes a range of technologies that will
enable greater private rooftop solar adoption as well as grid-scale renewables,
the utility said.
“The fact that customers from across the state participated in the creation of
this strategy along with technical experts and other stakeholders from Hawaii
and the mainland is one of the reasons we believe it will be successful,” Colton
Ching, senior vice president for planning and technology at Hawaiian Electric,
said in statement. “Early on, the commission directed us to broaden our
outreach eforts and as they noted in their decision, those eforts paid of with a
much more customer-focused plan.”
______________________
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
AIA IĀ KĀKOU … IT'S UP TO US
For the past 10 years, the Hawaii CleanEnergy Initiative has
been instrumental in Hawaii's bold pursuit of a clean energy
future that benefts all of the state's residents.
Built on the foundation of our invaluable partnership with the
U.S. Department of Energy and other key stakeholders, HCEI will
continue to serve as a guiding force as we face the challenges of
transitioning to a 100 percent clean energy future.
DAVID Y. IGE, GOVERNOR, STATE OF HAWAII
ALAKA`I … LEADERSHIP